Crystal River current., 1887-04-16

more ardent and eloquent partisan.
As for Parsons, he grew almost
to worship the handsome, sweet.
vioced lad.
One luckless afternoon Parsons,
Orphee and strolled off together,
leaving Miss Anna" to the mercies oi
our mess, but tormented by some
vague presentiment of evil, I Ind iced
my companion to return a little earli-
or than they intended. As We neared
the tent my ear caught the sounds OF
derison that came first from our Vir.
ginian, and were then finally caught up
by the others and ended in peal after
peal OF laughter. We pushed eagerly
In. Alas! "Miss Anna" decked out in
the most ridiculous toegery, had been
tied between four stakes driven into the
ground and the men were engaged in
pricking her with pine burrs until the
poor animal fairly writhed with
agony. In a minute we had freed her
and Parsons held the poor bleeding
creature close to his breast. His
small. square figure seemed to rise
and dilate with q certain sense OF su-
perior power. as he turned his blanched
face and blazing eyes upon the crowd:
"You call yourselves gentlemen"
he said harshly, "you, who have
tortured q poor. dumb, defenseless
creature, left in your care. Thank
God my meaning Of the word is differ
enti You hav no excuse. You
are all supposed to be men, and hon.
orable men, men who are fighting for
the rights OF their country, and yet
you can amuse yourselves with sense
less cruelty such as you have prac-
ticed this afternoon. You have brand
ed yourselves as towards and liars,
for his voice broke suddenly-"I
trusted you."
There was an ominous, threatening
stir in the lit lie tent. and several men
stepped out toward the speaker. pic
turesque in his very unpicturesque.
sharply against the bit of landscape
tent. But his face awed them back.
The goat turned, and moaned pitt
fully, rubbing her nose against Par
sons coat with mute insistence. His
face softened wonderfully, he seemed
to forget the men, his anger, every
thing, and he whispered to her in soft,
caressing tones.
"You have followed me through
thick and thin, Miss Anna. When
the overflow came and we were
starving. it was you who struggled back
to US through the water. and it
was your milk that kept US alive.
Everything depended then on your
strength. We called our baby after
you, and when the poor little one died
it cut me cruelty, cruelty. can never
forgive this days work. Be brave.
Miss Anna, be brave" and putting
his cheek on Miss Anna's head the
tears fairly rolled out of his eyes.
He stopped a minute, drawing in his
breath in short, quick, little sobs and
threw out both hands with q forlorn
gesture of abandonment.
20! great God! l was 80 lonely
when wife and babies all were dead,
and loved Miss Anna then; love
her now as the one relic left me OF
that beautiful, vanished past.
Then the war came and l tried to
leave you, thinking it would be best,
but you followed me, to be ridiculed,
despised and even tortured. All the
conduct OF the last week breaks over
me and I seq what q blind fool have
BEEN"
parsons. you are to 20 on picket
duty tonight" and you had better
start now, called in the voice of our
lieutenant. The men, now thoroughly
ashamed of themselves, came nearer,
and were about to offer some heartfelt
words of apology, but Parsons turned
away, and delivering "Miss Annie"
over to Orphee, said pleadingly:
"If anything should happen to me,
you will take care of her ?"
Orphee's eyes filled with tears as he
pressed the extended hand.
Without another word or look Par
sons strode out into the dark.
"We're brutes, cowardly brutes,"
said Our Virginian disgustedly.
II would rather face a million Yam
KEGS than hear that mans story told
in that voice again." said another.
That night was q weary one. We
could not forget the solemn figure, the
dark, patient face, the broken, harsh,
tender voice, and the pines above and
the river far away seemed to mingle
their grief at our cowardice and bru-
tality. Meanwhile "Miss Anna" slept
peacefully on the best blanket OF the
mess, while we lay there sleepless,
thoughtful, unhappy, even the great
er issue of the war momentarily for
gotten.
With the dawn came action. The
Yankees were upon US, and we fought
like wildcats. As evening came on, the
fight was suspended, and when our
mess met verybody was there, Miss
Anna" included, except Parsons. We
had made up a scheme to beg his for
eiveness and to swear to begentlemen,
at least. Each of US had q separate
speech of apology to make expressive
OF shame and contrition. When night
settled down, and Parsons did not
appear, we grew anxious and sat 81
lently around, not daring to breathe
the great fear uppermost liz our minds,
'Mlss Anna" too, walked up and
rubbing her nose against any convent
ent shoulder. As we sat thus, our
lieutenant called in to me
Harrison, step hera a minute"
arose and went out O little un-